Blake Lively Says Taylor Swift Is “Even Better In Real Life”

Travis Kelce isn’t the only love in Taylor Swift’s life. Days after the singer turned 34, Swift’s bestie Blake Lively kept the party going with a celebratory Instagram birthday post on Dec. 17.

“Somehow, she’s even better in real life,” Lively captioned a series of photos from Swift’s A-list birthday bash in New York City. “Happy, happy birthday to the one and only.”

Held on Dec. 13, the fashionable fete included a dinner at Freemans Restaurant, a Milk Bar birthday cake, and an after-party at The Box in Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood. As seen in Lively’s pics — which included a mix of candid and posed group shots, along with silly close-up selfies — the lucky party guests also included Gigi Hadid, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Sabrina Carpenter, Antoni Porowski, Jack Antonoff, Gracie Abrams, and Este and Alana Haim, among others.

Where Were Kelce & Ryan Reynolds?

Though Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, wasn’t part of the group, the Gossip Girl alum still tagged him as a party guest, presumably part of their ongoing tradition of playful spousal roasting. After all, Reynolds recently trolled his wife by posting an edited image from the London premiere of Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, swapping her and Swift’s faces with his and Kelce’s.

Kelce, for his part, was also a no-show at Swift’s Big Apple birthday party because the NFL star reportedly had mandatory team practices with the Kansas City Chiefs, following back-to-back losses. After the Buffalo Bills defeated Kelce’s Chiefs on Dec. 10, however, he and Swift reportedly had a post-game early birthday celebration in Kansas City, where they spent time with friends, posed with partygoers, and even exchanged a kiss, according to People.

An Unbelievable Year

Though several of Lively’s photos were brand new, Swifties had already seen some of the images. That’s because Swift herself shared a collection of party pics via Instagram on Dec. 14. “Can’t believe this year… actually… happened?” the Midnights singer captioned her post, also thanking everyone for the “beautiful birthday wishes” the previous day.

When she was named Time’s 2023 Person of the Year, Swift reflected on her huge year, which included her global Eras Tour and record-breaking concert film, among many other accomplishments. “This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been,” Swift said. “Ultimately, we can convolute it all we want, or try to overcomplicate it, but there’s only one question. Are you not entertained?”